Patriots Not Sure They Can Trust Aqib Talib With Big Money Contract

The acquisition of cornerback Aquib Talib from Tampa Bay was one of the main reasons the Patriots defense improved and they advanced to the AFC Championship Game.

Talib is now an unrestricted free agent now, and he would like a multi-year deal. The Patriots would like to keep Talib, but according to CSNNE, they are not sure they can trust Talib with a big money deal.

A source with knowledge of the situation told Comcast SportsNet’s Mike Giardi that, while Aqib Talib displayed no behavioral problems during his time with the Patriots, the team has enough concerns over his work ethic to be somewhat reluctant to offer the star cornerback a multiyear contract.

According to the source, Talib passed on the chance to do extra work at times this year and there are questions as to how he’d handle a long-term deal. The Pats, said the source, would prefer to sign Talib to a one-year, make-good contract.

Reports suggest that with the lack of quality cornerback play on the free agent market, Talib can still command $8 million a year or more.

1 COMMENT

Talib is a good zone coverage corner, but he hasn’t lived up to expectations by any stretch. The fact is, the job can make corners look really bad or really good depending on how aggressive they are, and Talib has look really mediocre.

His tools are still off the charts. I’m sure that’s why the patriots traded for him in the first place–also because it’s hard to find a quality cornerback on the trade market. And I’m sure they were also confident that BB’s crew could finally coach him in to shape. But the fact is, he got shredded against the Ravens.

The Patriots don’t have a ton of needs. They should finally draft some top-shelf cornerback talent via the draft. Then they should decided whether to ink Talib to a more reasonable contract or forget him.